What is Tantra?

Perhaps more than any other continent or country, India is blessed with a myriad of spiritual and philosophical models that have arisen to answer, often by means of personal experimentation, the fundamental questions of life.

Tantra represents the most elaborate theological and metaphysical exposition of the continent.

Though tantra can be found in many cultures and interlaced with many world religions, this article will deal with tantra as it has been traditionally presented within India itself, in particular within the tantric sect of Non-dual Shaiva Tantra: the central and most advanced exposition of tantra.

The general term 'Indian Tantra' denotes all the teachings and practices found both in the scriptures (called Tantras or Agamas) and passed on orally from guru to disciple. This said, tantra is a system, a philosophy and technology so intuitive and natural to man that its essence can be seen within all genuine spiritual paths, from Taoism, Tibetan Buddhism, Kabbala and Tarot, to the cults of the Ancient Egyptians and even within Christianity.

Tantra is a vast and complex subject and this article will only scratch the surface of the tantrik paradigm, focussing mainly on some of the practical, yogic applications of tantra.

Shiva and Shakti

The basic premise of Non-dual Shaiva Tantra states that Reality is ultimately one though appearing as two. In the same way that a single coin has two sides yet is one thing, 'all that is' seemingly appears as two components. These are the manifest and the un-manifest, or otherwise stated: energy and consciousness.

Unlike the atheistic and dualistic philosophical model of Samkhya, Tantra has deified these two concepts. Consciousness is known as Shiva and energy is Shakti.

Shiva is therefore pure, un-manifested latency without form or shape: a void which is paradoxically pregnant with undivulged life.

This still and silent potentiality can be encountered within the human experience as a state where no thought is present, no sensation is present and no sense of individual self is present; an intuition of pure being where all that remains is a deep, intimate sense of universality with no centre.

The Maha Vakyas (great mystical statements) of the great sage Adi Shankaracharaya point to this awesome reality:

'I am that' (Tat Tvam asi)
'I am identical with underlying intelligence' (Aham Brahmasmi)
'The absolute reality is pure consciousness' (Pragyanam Brahma)
'I am the Eternal Witness' (Aham Sakshihi)

Analogously, we could say that consciousness / Shiva is like an unmoving, unchanging observer, a silent witness to his own boundlessness. Shiva is the ultimate ground of all reality whereby all forms of vibration are his expressions. Just as the sun is not separate from its rays, ultimate reality is not separate from its manifestation. Reality is therefore both luminous and self aware.

For this reason Shiva and Shakti are depicted as lovers in eternal sexual union. A beautiful, distinctive emblem that depicts the central Tantrik concept of Prakasha / Vimarsha.

Prakasha relates to Shiva and means the Light of Consciousness, and Vimarsha relates to Shakti and is the Power of Self-Awareness. Vimarsha implies that we are reflections or representations of pure consciousness.

It is worth noting that without humans and the myriad other expressions of creation, Shiva is as though lame, inert; without limbs through which he can experience the joy of Being.

According to the Tantrik philosophy, thought, matter and everything we can perceive through the five senses, including the electrical currents that we feel moving through our bodies, is a love-dance of Shiva and Shakti.

Clearly then Tantra is a life embracing, celebratory philosophy that includes all of creation, and the Tantrik practices likewise embrace all of life.

Definitions of Tantra

Tantra could be thought of as a set of hypothesises, spiritual practices and ritualistic actions that through personal effort and experimentation (sadhana) are designed to direct the universal energies of the macrocosm into the practitioner (sadhak). The reason for undertaking such efforts is nothing less than total liberation from ignorance and suffering (Moksha).

One meaning of tantra is 'to weave'. It is also taught that tantra is like the actual shuttle that moves between the threads when weaving a fabric, correctly implying that tantra can be a device or technology. The fabric itself represents the universe with all its subtle energies and all the myriad permutations of consciousness. This fabric of reality is like an interconnected matrix, and tantra then is the expansion of our consciousness wherein these interconnections are intuitively and experientially understood: the inner experience that everything is intrinsically woven together and is ultimately one occurrence.

Etymologically speaking, tantra comes from the root Sanskrit words tanoti meaning to stretch or expand, and trayati meaning to liberate or free. So tantra (tan + tra) means to expand the frontiers of apprehension beyond the material into the more subtle realms of perception, and hence through these increasingly more refined insights, attain spiritual knowledge (jnana) and liberation (moksha).

Despite the exhaustive theory found in the agamic texts, tantra is a practical system. It is called a sadhanashastra, which means that it is a practice-orientated scripture. It is a life embracing system which embraces a vast number of practices to suit all kinds of aspirant; thus sexuality, love, social life and artistic pursuits are considered vectors of spiritual evolution.

Tantra is simultaneously a precise ritualistic science and a wildly celebratory and spontaneous expression of our innate human divinity. Spontaneity is encouraged during life and sadhana, however there are certain rituals that require exact precision lest the practitioner fall victim to possession of dark spirits and madness.

In Tantra the World is Real

Tantra's emergence signified a shamanic, goddess worshipping reaction to the masculist Vedic tradition. Tantra was a revolutionary response to the Vedic priesthood, hierarchy and caste system that prescribed which parts of society were fit for sadhana, worship and self liberation (namely, men of high birth) and which were not. Tantriks on the other hand were often subversive, wild women and men committed to a life of God-realisation with little or no care for moral codes, scripture or tradition.

The philosophy and practices of tantra are life affirming and inclusive. So the question begs answering: is tantra dualistic or non-dualistic? In brief, Indian Tantra is a series of both dualistic and non-dualistic technique-rich styles of spiritual practice. The Agamas (the traditional texts of tantra presented as a dialogue between Shiva and Shakti) appear to be both theistic and atheistic, both dualistic and non-dualistic, but ultimately the highest teachings of Tantra found in the texts of Non-dual Shaiva Tantra are non-dual: one thing, experienced as multiplicity in appearance only.

The aspect of the universe that is organic nature, you and I, the food we eat, the earth we walk upon, indeed all the galaxies, all that we can see and feel, is the manifest reality and is therefore vibratory. All things vibrate, hum, pulse, dance in and out of existence, and this principle is known in tantra as Shakti (or in Samkhya philosophy, an atheistic philosophy which stems from tantra: prakriti).

In contrast, that which we cannot see, feel or know on the level of form is known as the realm of pure consciousness or spirit. This can only be fully experientially 'understood' by the adept. It is our essential absolute nature, the unmanifest: known in tantra as Shiva, (in Samkhya, Purusha).

In Vedanta the term maya, meaning illusion or 'that which appears as real', is used to describe the manifest dimension of reality. One of the main tenants typically alluded to in this tradition is that only Brahman is real and all else is illusory. However the full dictum presented by Adi Shankaracharya (780 A.D.) is as follows:

'The world is an illusion,
Brahman alone is real,
The world is Brahman.'

In practice however, at least in modern times, the beautifully paradoxical and deeply life embracing tenor of the third line seems to be left out all together. 'The world is Brahman.'

In contrast to the way most Indian spiritual paths are presented, tantra has a world-encompassing rather than a world-denying character, thus aiming to bring about an inner realization of the truth that 'Nothing exists that is not Divine' (nasivam vvidyate kvacit).

There are many schools of Indian tantra, some leaning toward a non dual philosophy and some to a dualistic philosophy. However, one vein that runs through most sects of tantra is that the manifest reality is not denied or called an illusion but is recognized as real. Shakti is the visible, knowable face of Shiva; the revealed emblazonment of him.

In Tantra Shastra one harnesses Shakti, the vibratory manifest world, in order to transcend it and realise Shiva, pure consciousness prior to form. These tantrik practices incorporate mantra, visualisation, ritual, yoga postures, deity worship, astrology, magic, medicine, science, concentration, sexuality, relaxation and so on, in order to put oneself in resonance with beneficial universal energies which purify the individual and bring about balance and spiritual upliftment. This, along with the expansion of our sense of self into wider and wider dimensions of being, clears the way for the merger of Shakti and Shiva.

The Chakras

In tantra we use the various energy centres in the body known as the chakras to intuitively access the elements, sometimes through manipulation of the body or breath. For example, in Hatha yoga we use the body through asana (postures), pranayama (control of vital energy), mudra (gestures, attitudes) and bandha (locks); ultimately they all clear the way and lead to Shiva: pure unwavering, unchanging consciousness without form.

Whilst Tantrik yogis recognise the supreme reality of Shiva, they simultaneously recognise that 'he' is not separate from manifest creation and therefore overtly worship Shakti in a myriad of ways. The tantras are full of stanzas extolling the divinity of women, and in both Kaulachudamani Tantra and the Brihad Nila Tantra, the koula is instructed to recite a mantra inwardly whenever he sees a woman:

'Women are heaven; women are dharma; and women are the highest penance. Women are Buddha, women are the sangha and women are the perfection of wisdom.'

Tantra says 'start where you are at', and in the modern world we are generally absorbed in the lower centres and the trappings thereof, so this is where we begin, and this is why the path of tantra seems more fitting and practical to the western aspirant. In tantra we use the level at which we are already living without denying or suppressing anything, and start our spiritual path from there.

Whatever and where ever we are, this is our starting point, and through tantra we work systematically with these chakras and these aspects of life that we deem of a less pure nature in order to clear the way for awakening; raising our energy and awareness so that we can know our higher centres, our spiritual depths, the realm of pure consciousness, and finally the merger of our manifest self with the supreme self: yoga.

(Original essay © Devamurti, preserved here from the existing site.)